


Negotiate

by LuciaWilt



Series: By The Edge [6]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Injury, Introspection, canon events
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 02:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18228545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciaWilt/pseuds/LuciaWilt
Summary: Damn him, she groaned before her head rolled to the side and rested against his chest. Damn his warmth I fall so desperately into. “We can finally stop this fighting Madara. I promise you that.”He makes so many promises and it terrifies her.





	Negotiate

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is a little shorter but I just love this scene so I wanted to include it!

Madara could both feel and hear the rattling wet sound her breathing caused to echo in the rock quarry all of them were currently in. She was surrounded, everyone armed to the teeth about her. There was a part of her that knew she could still fight most of them off. It would be easy, like picking off flies even with her legs barely working and her arms heavier than lead. 

But of course everything was not so simple. Hashirama knelt beside her, a saddened look on his face; tired just like her. She wanted to look away but it was so hard. In all of her 23 years she had never been so exhausted in her life. Further behind him, she could see Tobirama approach. As he did, he smoothly grabbed a katana that was sticking out of a corpse; probably his own and that was probably the last person he took down before the fighting stopped. 

As much as she absolutely hated to admit it, even Tobirama could take her down in the state she was in. Her chest ached as she took another heaving and wet breath. Blood trickled down her chin as she found Hashirama’s eyes once again; the brunette look absolutely shattered at the very visceral and physical sight of her injury. 

Finally Tobirama stopped beside them and Hashirama did not even look up at the closeness of his brother. He could not tear his eyes away from her as she lay there completely helpless at this point. Hmm, perhaps this was her last day on the earth. She had planned to die in the fight with Hashirama. The fact he held back was not entirely surprising either. He has always been so damn soft, she thought to herself as Tobirama spun the sword in his hand, the blade now facing down over the center of her chest. Well shit here it was. 

“Madara. You’re finished.” He said, puffing his idiotic chest out as he did so. She would roll her eyes if every muscle in her body did not ache so terribly. 

“Wait Tobirama.” Hashirama spoke and even if Tobirama so wished to kill her, he stopped as his brother’s voice. Hashirama was the leader of their clan and could easily take his brother down if he wanted to; not that he would ever think of laying a hand on his younger brother. Madara knew that much and it tore her to pieces. 

“Why Elder brother? This is our chance.” Yeah, she thought. Why, as though all of them didn’t already know the answer to why Hashirama stayed Tobirama’s hand. 

“No one touches her.” Madara did roll her eyes at that; such an angry and blatant display of where Hashirama’s heart lay. How foolish and transparent could he be? Tobirama surely knew at this point Hashirama’s blind feelings towards her. There could be no other explanation. Hashirama was always so open about it and she wished he would just zip it half the time. 

Sensing the clear and obvious mood of both her heart and the men around them, she caught Hashirama’s attention once more. “Just get this all over with Hashirama. It would be an honor to die by your hand.” And she was being quite genuine with that. She would gladly die if it was he who was holding the sword. Too many things had happened in her life, happened in their lives, for it to be any other way. Perhaps she would see Izuna soon. Hopefully he would be proud of her. 

“Stop posturing.” Hashirama started in and right then and there she knew her death toll would not be that day if Hashirama Senju had anything to say about it. “If I killed the clan leader of the Uchiha, it will only incite the young ones that follow you.” Young ones! Ha! As if any of the young ones of fighting age could lift a sword. The Uchiha’s food rations had run so low months ago most everyone barely ate in a week. Of course she would never tell Hashirama all of that. 

“No one among the Uchiha has such nerve. Not anymore.” She said instead. That sounded more right anyways; inferring the Uchiha still had the muscle mass to take on the Senju. Madara herself could feel the tightness of her skin against her ribs. All she was doing in that moment was praying Hashirama would not touch her torso anywhere. Surely he would call her bluff if he did such a thing. It had her sweating bullets; which thankfully was disguised as sweating from her injuries and lack of chakra at the moment. Hashirama was none the wiser. 

“No there is always someone. Perhaps not right now but in time. Come on, why don’t we put an end to this war? We made a promise remember?” Madara felt that burn and tightness in the back of her throat she had not experienced since Izuna’s death. Gods above why did Hashirama Senju do this to her? “To create an ideal village some day. Can’t we just skip stones like we did in the old days Madara?” Skip stones in the old days… back when they were not even 14 years of age yet. 

“No that’s not possible anymore. You and I are no longer the same people. I have no brothers left. Nothing remains to protect. And, in all honesty, I just cannot bring myself to trust you.” There. There she said it. He made her head go “topsy turvy” but trust? No. Had they ever trusted one another? Had she ever trusted him? She blinked back tears. Everything in her heart said she just wanted to lay down beside him, to sleep knowing she would not die the next day. 

Hashirama was clearly not wanting to accept such an answer from her. His face had that noticeable twist to it when she told him something he did not like. “But isn’t there,” He paused. “Anyway I can convince you?” 

Madara knew she would hate herself after this. Her eyes trailed from Hashirama to the sky, then over to Tobirama who was still glaring at her as though she would just explode and kill anyone in a thirty mile radius. A part of her wanted to just so she could be done with it all. But a bigger part of her told her otherwise. “Well, there is a way to show each other what is inside of us. Either kill your brother or kill yourself right now. And then we shall be even. I’d even be willing to trust your clan.” Madara had to take a deep rattling breath once again at the end of that long diatribe and it was so strikingly obvious what Hashirama was going to choose even before she ended that sentence. Tobirama looked stunned which was not all that surprising. 

Outside of her field of vision of the two brothers, she heard other Senju shifting angrily. “Do what? Kill your younger brother or kill yourself?” One said. 

Another piped in. “You dare say such an outlandish-.” But Hashirama had an accepting look on his face as he held up a hand to stop anyone else from speaking. The smallest smile formed on his lips. 

”Yes I agree. What you are saying is insane. So what now older brother? Are you going to kill me? Or are you going to die on account of this woman’s nonsense? It’s idiotic. Don’t bother listening.” Madara was expecting Tobirama to react as he did. 

”I thank you Madara. It seems as though you really are kind hearted.” Stars above this man really did have a flower for a heart, she thought to herself as he stood, giving her a soft look and dropping the first layer of his armor. He then took a step back, still facing Madara but turned slightly towards Tobirama and the other men. “Listen Tobirama. Please carve into your heart these final words of mine.”

“Brother.”

Hashirama continued. “Words that I will be exchanging with my life. You too my fellow clansmen. After my death you must not kill Madara. I forbid fighting between the Uchiha and the Senju. Swear this right now upon our fathers and yet unborn grandchildren.” The kunai in Hashirama’s hand shook, rattling noisily enough that surely everyone noticed. Of course Hashirama did not want to die. He was a relatively happy man. He had a family; his clan loved and adored him. The Senju were well fed and lived in relative peace among most other clans. Madara’s heart was beating so hard against her chest she was stunned that they could not hear it. 

She could not let this man die. 

Somehow she found the strength to push herself up into a half sitting position. Her hand snapped out and covered his own, halting the kunai before it could dig into his abdomen.

Her own body was shaking, watching as a tear rolled down his cheek. **Perhaps. Perhaps Perhaps. Perhaps.** “That is enough. You have shown me what is inside you.” How foolish was she? Never the less she allowed Hashirama to drop the kunai then aide her into lying back, his own arms wrapped around her. Don’t be so public, she thought to herself. The Senju hate me, don’t allow their feelings towards me to infect you as well. She was screaming that in her head but it seemed as though Hashirama was deaf to any of her pleading wails. Instead he just sighed, cheeks still wet as he cupped her cheek and brushed some of the blood away. 

Damn him, she groaned before her head rolled to the side and rested against his chest. Damn his warmth I fall so desperately into. “We can finally stop this fighting Madara. I promise you that.”


End file.
